THE CAUCUS; McAuliffe May Run

By MICHAEL FALCONE

Published: November 11, 2008

Terry McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and confidant of Bill and Hillary Clinton, signed papers on Monday to set up a campaign committee, the first step toward a possible run for governor of Virginia.

Mr. McAuliffe said he planned to make an official decision on Jan. 7 about whether to run, following two months of meeting with voters around the state. (Hmm, would that be a ''listening tour''?)

''I'm going to travel to every corner of our commonwealth, my home for nearly 20 years, and share my vision for a Virginia that continues to lead the nation in public management, education, and business climate,'' Mr. McAuliffe said in a statement on his Web site.

If he decides to enter the race, Mr. McAuliffe will face a Democratic primary battle against two veteran state legislators, State Senator R. Creigh Deeds and Brian J. Moran, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, who have both declared their candidacy.

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Mr. McAuliffe might be seen as an outsider.

''Until this campaign started, virtually no one realized he even lived in Virginia, much less has any connection to the state's politics and government,'' Mr. Sabato said.

The state has become particularly Democrat-friendly in recent cycles, and turned blue for Senator Barack Obama. It was the first time a Democratic presidential nominee carried the state since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Virginia's governors cannot run for a successive term, so Mr. McAuliffe would replace Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat. Mr. Kaine succeeded another Democrat, Mark Warner, who was just elected to the United States Senate. Another Democrat, Jim Webb, was elected to the Senate in 2006.

Mr. McAuliffe was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005.